Reminiscences of Charles Butler, Esq of Lincoln's Inn

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: business.?He rose early, and, till a late dinner, dedicated his whole time to business: he was very methodical; slow, not wearisome; cautious, not suspicious; rather a man of sense than a man of talent; he had much real good nature; his promises might be relied on. His manners partook of the old court; and he possessed, in a singular degree, the art of attaching persons of every rank to him. Few houses were more pleasant or instructive than his lordship's: it was filled with rank, beauty and talent, and every one was at ease. He professed to be fond of music, and musicians flocked to him, he was the soul of the catch club, and one of the directors of the concert of ancient music;?but, ?(which is the case of more than one noble and more than one gentle amateur, )?he had not the least real ear for music, and was equally insensible of harmony and melody. LETTER ON JUNIU3. ABOUT this time the Reminiscent amused himself in an inquiry, the result of which he afterward stated in a private letter to a friend, who, without his knowledge, and much against his will, almost immediately published it in the Anti-jacobin Review. As it is very harmless, and contains some particulars on a subject, in which the public has taken, and still continues to take, great interest, ?the authorship of the celebrated letters under the name of Junius, ?the author gives it a place in these pages. The inquiry was made by him in conjunction with Mr. Wilkes, ?a delightful and instructive companion, ?buttoo often offensive by his freedom of speech, when religion or the sex was mentioned. The writer's acquaintance with him did not begin till his political turmoils were at an end. In his manner and habits, he was an elegant epicurean, yet it was evident to all his intimates that he feared, Manes aliquo...